


Five Times Lex Knew Something Clark Didn't And One Time Clark Knew Something Lex Didn't

by crocodilepatronus



Category: Smallville
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-15
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-05-12 03:42:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19220848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crocodilepatronus/pseuds/crocodilepatronus
Summary: Short stories from different points in their relationship.





	Five Times Lex Knew Something Clark Didn't And One Time Clark Knew Something Lex Didn't

 

 

“You know the first tractors were steam powered if you can believe that.” Lex said.

 

Clark continued to wipe mud off his own diesel powered John Deere but laughed, shaking his head. “I believe it but I don’t know why you know that.”

 

Lex leaned one hip against the machine. “Is it so odd…? I work for a fertilizer company. You pick up facts along the way.”

 

“Yeah, but you know everything about everything, Lex.” Clark said. No matter what the subject was- Lex always seemed ready to give a lecture on it. He always had an obscure fact or anecdote at the ready.

 

“Only Miss Cleo ‘knows all’, Clark.” Lex remarked glibly.

 

\- - - -

 

Clark kneeled in the grass next to the electric fence he was installing around the vegetable garden while Lex stood by, nonchalantly plucking a cherry tomato off the vine and popping it in his mouth.

 

“So the THOUGHT is,” Clark said, winding wire around one of the posts. “That FIRST I’ll leave it unplugged, then the squirrels will think it’s just a normal fence. But then if the next day they come and suddenly get a little shock. They’ll be like ‘wait, but this thing wasn’t dangerous YESTERDAY!’ Then they won’t know when its dangerous or when it isn’t, and so they’ll just never come to it and we can save money on the electricity for it.”

 

“That’s an admirably well thought out strategy, Clark.” Lex praised. “Very Sun Tzu’s Art Of War.”

 

Clark scrunched his eyebrows together to look up at him. “What’s a sanzoo..?”

 

\- - - -

 

On many things, Clark and Lex’s tastes diverged. And unsurprisingly, music was one of them. Lex’s tastes were eclectic enough that they could usually find a common ground when they were riding around in the Porsche together- often settling on something alt-rock. Clark appreciated how often Lex was willing to dumb down his palate for his sake, even though sometimes he did try and expand his musical taste range.

 

When Clark climbed in the passenger seat and was met by the sounds of someone belting out something unintelligible to him in Italian from the Porsche’s speaker system he winced and as subtly as he could reached to turn the volume knob down a turn, Lex huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re turning down Puccini?” he asked incredulously.

 

“Sorry.” Clark gave a helpless shrug. “Guess I’m not cultured enough for opera.”

 

“This isn’t just any opera.” Lex said seriously. “This is _Turandot_. Puccini’s last and most adventurous work. I used to beg to listen to the Pavarotti recording of Nessun Dorma before I went to sleep as a kid.”

 

When Clark just blinked back at him passively, Lex continued passionately “It’s about a brutal princess who is pursued by suitors but refuses to marry any of them unless they can answer her three riddles, and if they answer incorrectly? She has them beheaded, with their heads mounted on pikes outside the castle gates.”

 

“She sounds like your type.” Clark said.

 

\- - - -

 

Clark’s second time going to a bar was with Lex and he told himself the first time didn’t count because he’d been on red k back then and he’d barely got to stick around. The second time was for a birthday and it was in Metropolis- bright flashing lights, a huge dance floor, neon signs, and bass thumping music.

 

But it had been a long drive from Smallville and Clark had to use the bathroom. Lex, having frequented the establishment, escorted him there, and while the music was muffled after they shut the door behind them, Clark discovered that the bathrooms of a Metropolis night club had their own excitements.

 

“Why are there holes in the walls of the stall?” Clark asked. “Did someone get shot in here or something?”

Lex stifled a laugh and refused to explain.

 

\- - - -

 

“Man, I don’t know anything about the stock market.” Clark said.

Lex opened his mouth to speak.

Clark quickly put up his hand in a gesture to halt.

“No… I don’t WANT to know about the stock market, Lex…”

Lex closed his mouth.

 

\- - - -

 

Lex circled the remains of the Porsche, disemboweled and shattered as it was, carefully watching Clark’s reaction as he looked at him searchingly from over the wreckage in the room where he kept it.

 

“And you really don’t know what happened that day…?”

 

Clark set his lips in a thin line, staring at the ground and shrugged his shoulders. “I wish I could tell you.” and he didn’t have to lie when he said that. He really did wish he could tell him.

 

Lex stopped in front of the vehicle, a few feet away from Clark, staring at the broken windsheild.

 

“I just…” he shook his head, an edge of frustration in his usual even tone. “I wish I could understand it.”

 

He turned back to Clark and Clark avoided his eyes, gripped with a paranoia that if they made eye contact Lex would somehow be able to read his thoughts, would be able to know what he knew…

 

“Some things just have to remain mysteries, Lex. Even to you.”

 

Lex seemed to mull over this for a moment of silence and then said “I guess you’re right.” in a way that indicated to Clark that he was only saying this to appease him, and he began to walk toward the door, gesturing with a tip of his head that Clark could follow him.

**Author's Note:**

> I learned recently that apparently the first instance of "five times" fics was with a Smallville fic!!! which made me very happy. Smallville clex fandom is so influential... Hoyay!


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